It may be natural, but it’s not always easy
This article is the fifth article in a series on spiritual birth and nurturing. If you haven’t read the other articles leading up to this I recommend skipping down to the article “Bringing and Keeping People in the Kingdom” and working your way back to the top.
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Well, Jadon has just crossed the two week line. He is a beautiful baby and we are blessed. He hasn’t given us much trouble, except for the occasional diaper overflow (which I am happy to say he has not yet done to me). We know we are blessed because he is our fourth and we have had other children who weren’t as easy. It is in this light, looking at the things that “Aren’t so easy” that I want to look again at the correlations of nursing our spiritual children.
One of the first problems that a family with an infant finds is that infants have odd schedules. We have had one child who would wake up at 10 PM and not allow us to sleep until seven the next morning. Jadon, on the other hand is already letting us sleep most of the night. No two children have been exactly the same and you learn to work with their schedule until you slowly mold them into yours.
We never reprimand our infant for the odd schedule he keeps, instead we try to work with his schedule and modify it gently. Keep him up a little longer here; play with him a little longer there. We work to gradually change his schedule until he is in synch with the rest of the family. Help your spiritual newborn to learn to adjust their schedule to include prayer times, bible studies and church.
A second issue every mother learns is that when you feed a baby, he makes a mess. Infants are messy people. It never fails. Likewise we need to understand that as we teach and minister to those God has placed in our care that they are going to make mistakes. They are going to make messes, and they are going to need help to clean them up.
Once again, we never reprimand or discipline our child for filling his diaper. So likewise we should not reprimand or discipline those God has entrusted to us for making a mistake. The yoke of Christ is easy, and the burden is light. Let’s not add the weight of guilt or frustration.
As a last issue for this article, I want to discuss “latching on properly.” Many nursing mothers at one time or another find themselves with soreness, irritation, and at times, bleeding. They have become inflamed and irritated because of a poor connection between mother and child. The consultant at the hospital would often warn mothers to be sure that the child is “latching on properly.” A child that isn’t properly connected will bring pain and frustration to the mother attempting to feed it.
Here is a mother, attempting to give of herself and every time she does, she leaves the experience sore, bleeding and dreading the next feeding. It is in these moments when a mother can become discouraged. It is easy to become frustrated when every time to you try to share a revelation and feed your child that you feel irritated, inflamed or hurt.
It is in these times that a spiritual mother must check to see that their child is latched on correctly. Are they bound together by the connection of love and respect, or is it a forced dry ritual? Does the spiritual newborn come seeking to receive because they are growing and pulling from your new spiritual revelations and answers, or are they being forced to come by their mother’s constant nagging?
Allow the connection between newborn and spiritual parent to be the bond of Love, and both will grow from the experience. Spiritual nursing is not always easy, but the benefits are well worth the cost.
One of the first problems that a family with an infant finds is that infants have odd schedules. We have had one child who would wake up at 10 PM and not allow us to sleep until seven the next morning. Jadon, on the other hand is already letting us sleep most of the night. No two children have been exactly the same and you learn to work with their schedule until you slowly mold them into yours.
We never reprimand our infant for the odd schedule he keeps, instead we try to work with his schedule and modify it gently. Keep him up a little longer here; play with him a little longer there. We work to gradually change his schedule until he is in synch with the rest of the family. Help your spiritual newborn to learn to adjust their schedule to include prayer times, bible studies and church.
A second issue every mother learns is that when you feed a baby, he makes a mess. Infants are messy people. It never fails. Likewise we need to understand that as we teach and minister to those God has placed in our care that they are going to make mistakes. They are going to make messes, and they are going to need help to clean them up.
Once again, we never reprimand or discipline our child for filling his diaper. So likewise we should not reprimand or discipline those God has entrusted to us for making a mistake. The yoke of Christ is easy, and the burden is light. Let’s not add the weight of guilt or frustration.
As a last issue for this article, I want to discuss “latching on properly.” Many nursing mothers at one time or another find themselves with soreness, irritation, and at times, bleeding. They have become inflamed and irritated because of a poor connection between mother and child. The consultant at the hospital would often warn mothers to be sure that the child is “latching on properly.” A child that isn’t properly connected will bring pain and frustration to the mother attempting to feed it.
Here is a mother, attempting to give of herself and every time she does, she leaves the experience sore, bleeding and dreading the next feeding. It is in these moments when a mother can become discouraged. It is easy to become frustrated when every time to you try to share a revelation and feed your child that you feel irritated, inflamed or hurt.
It is in these times that a spiritual mother must check to see that their child is latched on correctly. Are they bound together by the connection of love and respect, or is it a forced dry ritual? Does the spiritual newborn come seeking to receive because they are growing and pulling from your new spiritual revelations and answers, or are they being forced to come by their mother’s constant nagging?
Allow the connection between newborn and spiritual parent to be the bond of Love, and both will grow from the experience. Spiritual nursing is not always easy, but the benefits are well worth the cost.
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